Moreover, IMT, a commonly used clinical marker for prediction of cardiovascular outcome, is not locally associated with phosphorylated-, total or phos-phorylated-to-total eNOS ratio along the arterial endothelium, indicating that inflammation precedes endothelial dysfunction and supports VCAM-1 as a better indicator of disease than assessment of endothelial function in FH carotid arteries. Here, NOS3 is linked to familial hyperaldosteronism.